Lopsided Snowmen
by 5MinuteMiracles
Summary: It snowed! It really snowed! That's the reaction of James Potter too, when he wakes up on a cold day in January to the sight of white powder covering his garden. A snowman is needed to make this garden look complete, and why not throw in a brother that looks like a teddy bear, for good measures. One-Shot. R&R! (Written for the arrival of snow in the UK!)


**_A/N: So I decided to write this in order to represent the imminent snow that's forecast to hit the UK tonight (31st Jan 2019) and maybe the previous snow we've had last week. This was what imagined a day in the snow would be like for the Potters; probably James getting very cold, very quickly : )_**

 ** _Anyway, hope you enjoy, and if you're in the UK, stay safe, and build lots of lopsided snowmen!_**

* * *

January. Cold, wet January. Probably not the most favourite month for Harry, being the month straight after Christmas and all.

It was 6 in the morning, and the dark was slowly being engulfed by the morning, and a duck skidded across the frozen pond, having not noticed the slippery ice that used to be water, only hours before. It quaked in indignance, but fled as a curtain upstairs in the house was pulled apart, revealing a small face, alight with happiness.

"Snow" he mouthed, pressing his hands upon the window, causing his warm hands to make small prints on the icy glass.

"SNOW!" He yelped again, much more audible, and making his sleeping parents wake up. Harry groggily rubbed his eyes, and sat up.

"James?" his wife said from beside him, and he nodded.

Just then, dappled patterns appeared on the wall, making both Harry and Ginny look over, watching as the curtains flickered against each other. Harry took his glasses from the bedside table, and pushed them on his forehead, before sliding out of bed to investigate.

He placed his hand on the curtain, and pulled. He grinned as he swiped away the condensation on the window, and saw the garden covered in deep snow; well, deep for England, anyway.

"Al's first snow" he whispered, and span around, grinning hugely.

"It snowed!" he said, pumping his fist in the air, rather like an over excitable child, and stepping over to the closet.

"How much?" Ginny said, kicking back the covers, and walking up to the window herself. She pulled back the curtains more fully, and smiled when she saw the powder on the earth.

"That's why James yelled, yes?" Ginny said, peeling her eyes away from the window, and staring as Harry went further and further into the closet, before emerging, holding 2 sets of winter outfits.

"Probably" he said, chucking Ginny an outfit, "It won't too long for us to see"

"Where on _earth_ did you get these… things… from?" Ginny said, fingering the thick fabric.

"Uh, I dunno" Harry shrugged, "I knew we had them"

"Right, ok, I'll take your word for it" Ginny grinned, turning back to the window.

It only took a few minutes for the first sound of footsteps rang through the hallways, and a small head appeared at the door, a huge smile on his face.

"Mama, Dada!" he shrieked, "It snowed! It really snowed!" Harry laughed and Ginny supressed a grin.

"You're not going out in your pyjamas, James Potter" she said, and James frowned.

"Why?" he persisted, looking incredibly like Ginny.

"You'll get wet," she replied, "and cold"

"I don't care" James said stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"You will" Harry piped in, stretching, and scooping James into his arms.

"What will I wear?"

" _Warm_ things, and wellies" Ginny said, kissing James' forehead, making him giggle.

"We can make snowmen" he said, squirming around.

"Indeed" Harry agreed, putting James back on the floor, "Now go with Mummy to get ready while I get Al" he added, and Ginny scowled at him.

"You think you're so smart, don't you" she growled, leading James out the room. Harry chuckled, and skipped out the room, entering the baby's instead.

"Hey Al, ready for snow?" he asked the one-year-old. Al's eyes lit up at the sight of his father, and rolled onto his stomach.

"Da" he cooed, reaching up his arms.

"Morning" Harry smiled, picking up the child and nuzzling his cheek. He walked over to Al's wardrobe and kicked open the door with his foot.

"Let's make you a teddy, eh Al?" Harry grinned, placing Al on the floor, and pulling out a white padded all in one coat. Al crawled up to his Dad, and lifted himself up on Harry's leg, wrapping his arm's around it to sturdy himself.

"Can't wait until you learn to walk" Harry muttered, picking Albus up in his spare hand, and putting him back in the centre of the room. Harry knelt down next to the infant, and dressed him, layer after layer.

After all of this, Albus Potter looked incredibly small and cute all padded up in his coat, his arms sticking out stiffly. Harry grinned, and picked up his son, bouncing form the room, and almost crashing into James.

"Look at Al!" he cried, standing on his Dad's feet to pat Al's big tummy. James was in almost as many layers as Al, though he looked much more manoeuvrable. Al offered a big smile that made Harry melt inside.

"Angel baby" he whispered, kissing Al on the cheek.

"Can we go in the snow?" James said, hopping from one foot to another.

"Me and Mummy need to get changed, first" Harry said, walking back into the master bedroom to see Ginny all ready, and tying her long red hair up into a pony tail.

"I have _no_ idea where you got these Harry, but they're pretty practical" Ginny said, looking up as she heard Harry's voice, "and what have you done to Albus?"

"Da" Al said, flexing his fingers.

"Yes, what did Daddy do to you?" Ginny grinned, walking up and kissing the baby all over.

"Al's a teddy!" James said, tearing into the room.

"Ah, at least he's warm" Harry offered, stepping into his own clothes.

"Warms an understatement" Ginny laughed, placing tiny welly boots on Al's size 2 feet.

"Where are my wellies?" James said, watching as Al kicked of the boot for the 2nd time.

"Here" Harry said, lifting James onto the bed, and sliding his slightly larger feet into the boots.

"Now can we go" James said impatiently when Harry had finished putting the wellies on. Harry glanced at Ginny, and they nodded. James didn't wait for verbal confirmation, but sprinted out the room, and waited by the back door.

"Hurry up" he whined as Harry forced gloves, hats, and scarves on the whole family.

"Wait, James" Harry said, reaching for his wand, and slipping it into his pocket.

"It's _snowing_ though" James said, looking furiously up at his father. Harry smiled, and reached up for the door knob.

"Good point" he said, and opened the door, the gust of cold washing over the kitchen. Ginny wrapped the hat over Al's head more firmly, and followed her husband and son out.

The snow was deep, and they had to stagger out slightly, but it got easier as they got further out, James starting to run.

"Careful, Jamie" Ginny called, thrusting Al to Harry, and chasing James. He shrieked, and started going faster, before tripping, and landing face first in the snow.

"Oh no" Harry heard Ginny mutter, but he grinned, and James lifted his head, looking delighted.

"It's so snowy!" he exclaimed, as Ginny put him back on his feet.

"Just be careful" Ginny sighed, brushing James down.

Al was staring at the snow, his eyes squinting against the cold, but looking excited.

"Wanna play?" Harry said, bending down and placing Albus' feet gently on the top layer of snow. Al lifted his foot up and brought it crashing down, causing power snow to settle over his face. He took in a deep breath, wrinkling his nose, before sneezing, and looking down at the snow in satisfaction.

"Snow man time!" James announced, after 10 minutes of running around in the freezing cold, causing his gloves to come off 3 times, and snow to start pouring into his boots. At this point, Harry was silently thanking the lord for magic, knowing a good old warming charm could fix this whenever James decides he's had enough.

"Yep, you're right, lets build a snow man" Harry laughed, lifting Al over his shoulders. Al held onto Harry's hat, dusting it with snow.

"Muggle snowman" James said, nodding his head as he started to roll the snowball for the base.

"That's gonna get big, James" Harry grinned, taking over as the snow ball threatened to get to big to move.

"It _needs_ to be big!" James said indignantly, falling over the top of the snow ball, and ending up a heap on the other side.

"Let's stop at that one, and start the next one" Ginny suggested, picking James up again.

"Oh yeah!" James said, starting to roll the second piece of snow. Ginny rolled her eyes at Harry, eyes glinting.

"Might want to fetch the carrot and buttons" she muttered, as James almost did a somersault. Harry nodded, and pulled Al from his shoulders, handing him to his wife.

"Don't be too long, at this rate we'll have 50 snowmen by the end of the day" Ginny chuckled, placing Al on her hip.

"I won't" he assured her, softly padding into the house.

He returned only a couple of minutes later, but the rolls for the snowman was set in place already, and was awaiting the task of putting clothes and a face on it.

"I'll do it" James volunteered, taking the things from Harry. He reached up and wedged the nose in the middle of the top snowball, and put two black buttons either side.

"I'll give him my hat" James suggested, starting to tug the hat from his own head, only to be stopped by his parents.

"Keep your hat on, you'll get cold" Harry said, starting to take his wand from his pocket, "He'll get his own hat and scarf"

Harry directed James' hand around the base of the wand, and waved it across the snowman, wrapping a red and yellow hat and scarf tightly around the snowman.

"He's in Gryffindor!" yelled James triumphantly, shoving three buttons down the snowman's tummy.

The snowman was lopsided, but it made Harry smile, as it was something only James could have been able to do.

"I'll keep him" James said, wrapping his arms around the figure he made, "But my wellies are wet" he frowned, shaking his boot around. Ginny glanced bemused at Harry, who grinned.

"Want some warm pumpkin juice?" Harry suggested, taking James' hand, and leading him back to the house, kicking snow in his wake.

"Daddy! My feet are cold!" James suddenly said, whimpering, and clutching onto Harry's arm. Harry swept him up, and laughed "Better get you inside then" making James squeal as they stomped back into the house, not caring that snow from their boots was getting trailed over the house, until Ginny hollered up to them, only a few minutes later.

"I think I'll build a snowman later, Daddy" was the reply, as the sweet smell of pumpkin juice wrenched the air, causing her to smile, and she shut the door softly behind her, shutting the cold out.


End file.
